Pianissimo device for grand-piano actions.



PATHNTED APR. 19, 1904.

A. T. STRAUGH. PIANISSIMO DEVICE FOR GRAND PIANO ACTIONS.

APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 6. 1904.

N0 MODEL.

m: uouls Prrcln p9. Mvo-urm wnsumcrou a c ever, be maintained.

ALBERT T. STRAUCH,

Patented April 19, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PIANISSIMO DEVICE FOR GRAND-PIANO ACTIONS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 757,689, dated April 19, 1904,

Application filed February 6, 1904. Serial No. 192,327. (No model.)

Tort whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT T. STRAUCH, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, Manhattan, county and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Pianissimo Devices for Grand- Piano Actions, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a pianissimo device for grand-piano actions which is constructed to substantially retain the normal touch of the piano while the soft pedal is being depressed.

1n the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view, partly in section, of a grand-piano action embodying my invention and showing the normal position of the parts. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the position of the parts with the soft pedal depressed, and Fig. 3 a detail of the connection between hammer rest-rail and lost-motion rod.

The letter (t represents the key of a grandpiano action, I) the capstan; 0 the wippen ful crumed at 0, while (Z is the jack and e the repetition-lever, all as usual.

The hammer f is fulcrumed at f and is adapted to be raised toward the string by a depression of the soft pedal, which actuates a litter f. This lifter engages the hammer rest-rail f which is provided with arms f", by means of which it is pivoted to the actionbracket A. When the hammer is raised by being turned on pivot f, the rest of the action must be correspondingly raised by being turned on pivot 0, so as to prevent the opening up of an objectionable gap between hammer and jack. During this raising of the action the normal touch .of the action must, how- To accomplish this result, I. have devised the following construction: Thewippen 0 is provided with two depending flanges 0 c and an intervening recess a. The front flange c is in vertical alinement with the capstan 6, while the rear flange c is formed at a distance back of the capstan. To the rear flange c is pivoted at g a lower lever g, which is adapted to contact with the front flange c and has a head g directly above capstan b. The front flange 0 is slotted for the passage of a two-arm upper lever h, pivoted to the flange at h. The rear arm of letance back thereof.

ver it enters recess 0 and is here provided with ahead If, which rests upon lower lever g. This head is consequently notin verticalalinement with the capstan, but is placed at a dis- The front arm of lever it rests upon a lost-motion rod t', pivotally connected by arm j to bracket A. The rod 2' is operatively connected to the hammer restrail f so as to rise andfall together with the same. To this effect a diagonal connectingbar 7: is secured at one end to the rod a and at the other end to arm f of rail f means for securing the bar It to the arm f are preferably adjustable and consist of a slotted nut Z, to which the bar is pivoted at is and which straddles the arm. The nut may be clamped to the arm f by a set-screw Z, and by slacking such set-screw the nut may be shifted backward or forward upon the arm f soas to increase or decrease the leverage of the bar and to consequently adjust the play of the lost-motion rod 21 to different travels of the hammer. To admit of the adjustment described, the lower end of bar 15 is threaded and carries a nut The operation is as follows: Normally upon a depression of key a the capstan Z) by bearing against the head 9 of lower lever g forces the latter against front wippen-flange 0 and consequently swings the wippen on pivot 0'. Thus the transmission of motion takes place in vertical alinement with the capstan, Fig. 1. When the soft pedal is depressed to raise rail The f and hammer f, the lost-motion rod '2l will be proportionately raised through the arm f and bar k. The raising of rod 1' will cause the front arm of upper lever h to be raised and its rear arm to be depressed. In this way the wippen a will be swung upward on pivot c, and the contact between front wippenflange 0 and lower lever Q will be interrupted, Fig. 2. The transmission of motion from the capstan 6 now takes place through lower lever g, left arm of lever h, and thence to the front wippen-flange 0 In this way the reach of the action is increased, while its touch is substantially maintained.

What I claim is actions, the combination of a wippen with a 1. In a pianissimo device for grand-piano IOO lower lever pivoted thereto, a capstan engaging the same, an upper lever also pivoted to the wippen and adapted to be engaged by the lower lever out of alinement with the capstan, and pedal-operated means for raising the upper lever, substantially as specified.

2. In a pianissimo device for grand-piano actions, the combination of a wippen with a lower lever pivoted thereto, an upper lever engaging the lower lever, a lost-motion rod engaging the upper lever, a hammer, rest-rail, and means for connecting the lost-motion rod to said rail, substantially as specified.

3. In a pianissimo device for grand-piano actions, the combination of a wippen having a rear flange and a front flange, with a lower lever pivoted to the rear flange, and an upper lever pivoted to the front flange and engaging the lower lever, substantially as specified.

4. In a pianissimo device for grand-piano actions, the combination of a wippen having a rear flange, a front flange and an intervening recess, with a lower lever pivoted to the rear flange, and an upper lever pivoted to the front flange and having a head within the recess that engages the lower lever, substantially as specified.

5. In a pianissimo device for grand-pianci actions, the combination of a wippen having a rear flange and a front flange, with a lower lever pivoted to the rear flange, a capstan in vertical alinement with the front flange, and an upper lever pivoted to the front flange and adapted to engage the lower lever out of vertical alinement with the capstan, substantially as specified.

6. In a pianissimo device for grand-piano actions, the combination of a wippen with a lower lever pivoted thereto, an upper lever engaging the lower lever, a lost-motion rod engaging the upper lever, a hammer rest-rail having a pivoted arm, a bar secured to the lost-motion rod, and means for adjustably connecting said bar to said arm so as to adjust the play of the lost-motion rod, substantially as specified.

Signed by me, at New York city, (Manhattan,) New York, this 5th day of February, 1904:.

ALBERT T. STRAUOI-l. 

